[GBC] Akiyuki Ball Factory

[9v system]

@Theo van Vroenhoven did you ever get your copy to work?, would love to see some video

[Theo van Vroenhoven]

On 6/3/2021 at 10:45 AM, 9v system said:

@Theo van Vroenhoven did you ever get your copy to work?, would love to see some video

Unfortunately not :-(
I even visited the designer (Berthil van Beek) and we looked into it together but couldn't locate the problem.
There was too much friction "somewhere"...
I dismantled the model and built Akiyuki's Basket Shooter instead. That works flawlessly!

[playmorelego]

On 6/4/2019 at 4:16 AM, Jonas said:

Thank you guys for your comments and advice. I tried to follow them. I disconnected all the moving parts and checked each for smooth function. Most run really smoothly. The biggest relief for the motor occurs when I disconnect the whole left section (that described in Part 1 of BI). From that section, it is the ball-picker moving mechanism that requires most power at certain moments, mainly when its lever passes its vertical position.  If you run it by hand the strain seems acceptable but when it is summed with that of the other mechanisms, the demand becomes critical. I tried to modify the positions and sizes of the levers that transfer the rotational movement to the picker but with no evident success. It looks like my machine is somehow enchanted.

By the way, during the tuning I faced many of the fails infamously known from the previous version, namely broken chains, jams at the entry point to the spiral lift, basket jams on the wheel, etc. A sort of deja vu after 3 years. If you did not face them, Berhil, you are a lucky man. But the good thing is that the new elevated constructions allows for easier repair works. Also, I appreciate very much the option of instant switching between the manual and motor drive. It makes tuning really efficient.

I will give it some rest for now and will return with fresh mind later. I may test also an XL motor instead of the L one. 

 

@Jonas   were you able to resolve the ball picker movement, especially when its at the vertical position ? I have the same problem as you've listed here.  I've built Berthil's V3 version, and the system strains when the ball picker lever passes its vertical position . Any thoughts here is much appreciated !!

[Jonas]

1 hour ago, playmorelego said:

@Jonas   were you able to resolve the ball picker movement, especially when its at the vertical position ? I have the same problem as you've listed here.  I've built Berthil's V3 version, and the system strains when the ball picker lever passes its vertical position . Any thoughts here is much appreciated !!

Unfortunately not. I had to give up.

[9v system]

5 hours ago, playmorelego said:

@Jonas   were you able to resolve the ball picker movement, especially when its at the vertical position ? I have the same problem as you've listed here.  I've built Berthil's V3 version, and the system strains when the ball picker lever passes its vertical position . Any thoughts here is much appreciated !!

i had the same issue with mine, i found that if you slightly squeeze the two 12l axles inwards it can help

[playmorelego]

@9v system - thanks for this tip .. will give this a try

[9v system]

greetings all, im currently building the V2 factory to go with the V3 one, im not sure if i said this but i need to thank everyone who is involved with this masterpiece including @TheRebricker and @Berthil its one of the most enjoyable building experiences i have ever had, and its quite a sense of accomplishment once you get it all working well.

i plan on exhibiting this module at brickvention 2022.

[9v system]

@Ankoku did you notice that the drive shaft feeding into the bucket dumper gearing is at a slight angle upwards? if this is true then the bucket dumper gearing must be one plate higher meaning that the dumper will stay open for a bit longer when the shifter is moving across.

[Seo-onDaddy]

 

Ball Factory submitted by Korea Brick Party 2022.

Thank you to Bertill for giving me the instructions.

I made it after looking at the manual and the Bertill's video only.
It was more difficult to make it smooth than to make it.

However, we were able to proceed smoothly without anyone's help.
I just found out now that there is more information in the Eurobrick forum.
If I had known in advance, I would have suffered less.

But it was a really enjoyable work.

 

Edited July 23, 2024 by Seo-onDaddy

[Fyredog]

So after thoroughly reading this and other threads I have changed my mind to build Berthil's V3 Ball factory for a show next year.  I was hell bent on building and modifying Akiuki's to alleviate the base plates, as I prefer his layout better.  But I LOVE the solid frame design of Berthil's version for shows.  So now the dreaded collection of parts starts.  After I have a working show version, I do plan on going back and building Akiuki's and modifying to be base plate-less.

It seems that I am pretty stuck with Dark Bluish Grey (One of my favorite colors) and yellow.  I don't think there is any other color that has all the components that yellow has.  So I will go with that.

 

I want to thank EVERYONE who has contributed and special thanks @Berthil for conquering a truly complex beast of a GBC and making available to fans like me your Instructions that you so diligently perfected.

Edited October 18, 2024 by Fyredog

[Berthil]

@Fyredog thank you and have fun with your build!